The desktop space provided to students in a typical school classroom is relatively small. In particular, students do not have a great deal of desktop space on which to spread out material such as reference texts, notebooks, etc. Students may also encounter limited work space situations away from the classroom, in libraries, at home, etc.
A book rest can be used to support an open book on a desktop in an upwardly inclined position to leave more desktop space available for notebooks, etc. than if the open book were laid flat on the desktop. However, a separate book rest device is not an ideal solution because, in addition to having to carry text books, note books and other school supplies, the student would also have to carry the book rest device between various work places (class room, library, home, etc.) in order to have it available for ready use. It is also questionable whether the relatively cramped desk storage space typically provided to students would suffice for storing a separate book rest device when not in use. These problems may be overcome by integrating a book rest device into a three-ring loose-leaf binder. Students commonly use such binders and typically carry them between their various work places.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,366,359 issued Jan. 30, 1968 for an invention of Wolf et al entitled "Combination Notebook and Book Stand" integrates a book rest into a conventional three-ring loose-leaf binder of the type commonly used by students. In particular, a book rest element is slidably mated to the binder's ring holder strip. The book rest element may be slidably extended away from the upper end of the binder to reveal a pair of arms which are then pivoted into position to form an inclined book rest. However, the Wolf et al device supports the book only over a narrow vertical region. The present invention improves the book support capability of a combination binder/book rest by utilizing one of the binder's covers to support the book.